Date:	Friday 3 December 1948
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire F Mk 22
Owner/operator:	6 MU RAF
Registration:	PK634
MSN:	CBAF.199
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Barrow Green Farm, Oxted, Tandridge, Surrey, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:	RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire
Destination airport:	RAF Biggin Hill, Bromley, Kent

Narrative:
Spitfire PK634, MSN CBAF.199: Delivered to 39MU 31-10-45. To VASM (Vickers Armstrong South Marston) for modifications and conversion 22-1-47. To 6MU RAF Brize Norton Oxfordshire 4-5-47

Written off (damaged beyond repair) when hit trees on ferry flight in low visibility and crashed; pilot killed, near Barrow Green Farm, Oxted Surrey, 3-12-1948.

The pilot was determined to ferry Spitfire PK634 from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, to RAF Biggin Hill, Kent, as it was his 'home' airfield. His motivation was that, after delivering the Spitfire, he could go on home leave nearby. To this end, he persuaded ATC (Air Traffic Control) to authorise a flight, despite the weather being unsuitable. In addition, the pilot was not qualified for flying in such conditions, not having any instrument flying rating for the prevailing conditions.

During the transit flight, the pilot also did not carry a parachute, and failed to maintain the authorised minimum altitude for the prevailing conditions. While flying in low cloud and driving rain the aircraft flew into trees and crashed. The pilot was killed.

Crew of Spitfire PK634:
P/O Philip Evelyn ALLMAN (pilot) RAF- killed on active service 3-12-1948; buried at St. James Churchyard, Birdham, Chichester District, West Sussex, England

According to a contemporary local newspaper report ("Liverpool Echo" 4 December 1948)

"CRASHED SPITFIRE PILOT NAMED
The Air Ministry stated to-day that the RAF Spitfire pilot who was killed when his plane crashed into a wood at Barrow Green Farm, near Oxted, Surrey, yesterday, was Pilot Officer P E Allman. The aircraft was on a training flight from Brize Norton, Oxfordshire to Biggin Hill"

Note that most published sources give the crash location as "near RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire". While it is true that Spitfire PK634 was flying from Brize Norton (the intended destination being RAF Biggin Hill), it crashed at Barrow Green Farm, Oxted, Surrey - some 95 miles from Brize Norton, as confirmed in the above local newspaper report (Liverpool Echo 4 December 1948)

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.451
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. Liverpool Echo 4 December 1948
5. "RAF Write offs 1948": Air Britain Aeromilitaria No.1 1979: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. 6 MU RAF Brize Norton ORB for the period 1-1-1946 to 31-12-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/1454: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4101164
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p086.html
8. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=PK634
9. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/PK634
10. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/82947014/philip-evelyn-allman
11. https://www.oldcicestrians.co.uk/philip-evelyn-allman-decd-1925-1948-chsb-1935-1943/
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Brize_Norton#Royal_Air_Force
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxted

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
07-Sep-2013 08:16	JINX	Added
25-Mar-2015 18:36	T.Taylor	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]
17-Sep-2020 20:59	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
18-Sep-2020 06:57	T.T.Taylor	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Operator]
14-Aug-2023 20:25	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Operator, Location, Departure airport, Operator]]